Honest babble about books.

Happy Pub. Day! | Alarum

TODAY IS THE DAY!!! The (YA) Post-Apocalyptic Western ALARUM, the first book in the Walking Shadows saga (a series of standalone novels) by author Talis Jones, is OUT NOW! I was lucky enough to read an eARC and this book totally surprised me! It’s a bit Book of Eli meets Godless meets The Knife of Never Letting Go, which had me pretty excited. Keep reading for an exclusive excerpt, playlist, a fan trailer, and more!

The Book

I fled as they destroyed my home.
I watched as they murdered my family.
I stood silent as they stole my name and threw my life in chains.

I stare coldly at my fading reflection with only one question to ask:Them or Me?

Set in a future where the United States has fallen, a girl is ripped from her home as a child and forced to endure the harshness around her or else surrender to the dust of bones she treads on. Her life becomes simple: kill or be killed. What she didn’t count on was the heavy cost this world would drain from her soul. When she crosses paths with a curious stranger who offers to show her a place without a map, they head across the crumbling land in search of the fabled Sanctuary. Neither enemies nor elements that rip her hair and claw at her heels can stand in the way of her will to survive.

They say demons lurk in the shadows, but here they strut boldly under the angry sun.

pooled ink‘s Review:

“Not my usual genre go-to but…something about this one really grabbed me ♥ It’s the type of book that will surprise you, make you want to throw it right out the window, but then you’ll find yourself desperately hunting for it just so you can read it all over again.

If you’re looking for a standalone that crosses genres and captures the wild spirit of the American West, the grit of a dystopian future, and the heart of a girl who refuses to lie down when the demons come a calling, then Alarum is a definite must-read.”-pooled ink

Instagram @pooledinkreviews

The Author

Talis Jones has always been an avid reader and any good story filled with fantasy and adventure is bound to be on her shelf. Graduated Suma Cum Laude with a degree in Theatre she has explored both stage and film, now finding herself drawn towards the literary world as a new venue for storytelling. Inspired by her mixed heritage as a Mexican-Englishwoman raised in the wilds of America, she rallies for diverse characters and seeks to contribute with her own writing.

Dog lover, chocolate fanatic, and music enthusiast, Talis currently resides in North Carolina where she has found a home for now that provides all of those favorite things.-Goodreads

The Excerpt

ALARUM by Talis Jones

Eyes shut I tighten my grip around Connors’ waist and feel the horse take off beneath us kicking up a trailing cloud of dust to bury the past. Moving on, just like Maurene always wanted to. Moving on, and leaving the automatons to wind down and stare motionless and glassy-eyed in their tableaux as I turn to the next page of this life.

Once Hans’ homestead is an indiscernible blip on the horizon I dare scrape the dust from my tongue and inquire, “Where are we going?”

“You came from a Corral,” he asks instead. Although it’s not so much a question as an observation.

I frown but won’t lie. “Tennessee.”

“You didn’t tell me about that,” he pushes gruffly.

“You didn’t ask and why would I tell you?” Challenge spikes in my tone. “I don’t have to answer any of your questions, Connors.”

“I think you do.” When I stay silent he continues. “For someone raised in a Corral their rules have got to be ingrained into your brain, your bones. It’s why you’ve got fire in your belly but it’s also why you keep your head down and your tongue chained.”

“Not with you though,” I point out rebelliously.

“No, not with me,” he nods.

“Why am I here?” My voice grows a bit sharp with my insistence.

“I bought you from Hans,” he explains easily. “Ownership has transferred to me but—”

I don’t wait for what was coming after the “but” because a sudden boldness seizes my body and I hurl myself off the horse landing painfully onto the rocky dirt. Finally rolling to a stop I get to my feet ignoring the plethora of bruises I probably just acquired and start running. No thought fills my head except run.

The Fun

So I’m not super great at making these things but when I read this book I could immediately see it being a movie so I wanted to give it a try 🙈 Haha
If it weren’t so time consuming a project I’d make more for indie books! Ah well.